Not Applicable.
The present invention relates generally to computer systems, and more particularly, to computer systems having multilingual displays.
There are a variety of systems that can handle data in more than one language. Such systems generally require a user to select an initial language for operation when the system is started. Some systems can support data entry in multiple languages simultaneously but have menus and help text in only one language. In general, these systems do not allow dynamic switching between languages. For example, some systems require a reboot of the system to allow a user to select a language for operation. Other systems require that the particular application program be restarted to select a language for operation. It will be appreciated that requiring a restart of a multilingual system is cumbersome and inefficient particularly when the language change should happen quickly.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a system that allows dynamic switching between different languages. It would further be desirable to provide a multilingual system that can automatically display information in accordance with the conventions of the selected language.
The present invention provides a multilingual system that allows an operator to dynamically switch between languages. In general, one display supports multiple languages by automatically positioning and configuring corresponding display fields in accordance with the conventions of the selected language conventions. This arrangement eliminates the need for designing multiple forms and manual positioning of fields in each form to account for different language formats. While the invention is primarily shown and described in conjunction with displaying available resources in a military environment, it is understood that the invention is applicable to other systems having a display in which it is desirable to switch between two or more languages.
In one aspect of the invention, a system includes a workstation and a display that can dynamically flip between languages. A database is coupled to the workstation from which data for display can be retrieved. The workstation can be connected to a network in a conventional manner. The system displays forms and other information including maps that provide information to the user with one form generally corresponding to one display screen. Each form includes a plurality of fields, such as text boxes, command buttons and the like. The properties for each field in each supported language are encapsulated within the field as display objects.
With this arrangement, the field properties can be modified upon receiving a change language command from the user. This eliminates the need for a form for each supported language and fields for each language as in known systems. In addition to improvements in form development and display efficiency, altering the field properties in accordance with the present invention reduces the likelihood of errors since fewer fields need to be managed.
In a further aspect of the invention, a method of flipping languages on a display screen includes receiving a language swap request from a user and changing a display language of a form having a plurality of fields from a first language to a second language. The method further includes selecting field properties to display the form in accordance with the conventions of the selected language. The display properties for each field for each supported language are encapsulated. Thus, each field supports multilingual display of the form for efficient swapping from one language to another.